You Could Be Throwing Money Down the Drain If You Use Online Dating Sites

Sites like Match.com and eHarmony make big promises of finding a lifetime of love with your soulmate without having to leave your door or even put on pants.

A new study, however, found that may be the only advantage to trying to find the right guy or gal compared to the old-fashioned way.

Researchers at Northwestern University tested the claims of several high-profile dating sites to determine the likelihood of meeting someone and settling down for the long haul. The study found that people who use these sites had the same rate of success as daters who try to meet someone through traditional means.

The claims made by the sites were also a bit inflated. Several claim they collected data on their customers and used advanced algorithms and formulas to determine their perfect match. One site even claimed they used daters’ DNA to find a compatible partner. The study found that achieving success with such controlled statistics and formulas “would be nearly impossible.”

If dating sites are your only option to fit your busy work week or lifestyle, there are ways to use them to your advantage. For instance, there are several specialty sites that cater to a wide variety of different people, beliefs, occupations and other facets and finding the right one can make a huge difference.

Online daters also shouldn’t believe the “scientific methods” behind any of the sites actually do anything to up your odds of finding that special someone. Meeting someone and finding that spark doesn’t involve microscopes and Bunsen burners.

Whatever the reason a person chooses to use an online dating site doesn’t seem to matter — an estimated 25 million people access them each month.